The invention relates to crib toys, and more specifically to a crib toy that produces sensible output by remote control.
There are a variety of known crib toys that can be mounted to a crib to provide visual or audible stimulus for an infant occupying the crib. The toys can take the form of mobiles, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,380 to Anderson. The crib toy of Anderson is activated by a passive infrared sensor that detects motion of the infant, similar to the sensors used in security systems. The toy uses a wall-mounted tape player that can be activated by a conventional infrared remote control that is mounted on the mobile and is in turn automatically activated by the mobile's passive infrared sensor.
Another example of a crib toy is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,286 to Davison. This toy has a housing mountable to a crib rail and moveable miniature cartoon figures. The figures are moved, and music is generated, when the toy is activated, in response to detection of sound generated by, for example, the infant or by toys on the housing manipulated by the infant.
Parents frequently wish to sooth a restless infant and/or to promote the infant's sleep by providing soothing sounds to the infant. Known crib toys require activation by the infant or by the parent through direct physical interaction with the toy. However, the parent often does not wish for the infant to be aware of the parent's presence, as the infant will then be less likely to commence or resume sleep. It would therefore be desirable for a parent to operate the crib toy remotely, from a position not visible to the infant. Known sound activated systems such as disclosed in Anderson are not suitable because the infant would be disturbed by the parent generating sufficient loud noises to activate the device. There is therefore a need for a crib toy that can be actuated remotely without disturbing the infant.